


If Go Be the Food of Love, Play On

by aiwritingfic



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-14
Updated: 2012-09-14
Packaged: 2017-11-14 05:02:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/511591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aiwritingfic/pseuds/aiwritingfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurata goes to China.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If Go Be the Food of Love, Play On

**Author's Note:**

> Debuted in Round 3 of the Hikaru no Go Deathmatch under the pseudonym Ash Landers.

** Outbound **

Kurata is fresh from a good showing at the _oteai_ matches. He's just won the Agon Cup, and his sponsors are happy. It's a good time to travel, and so Kurata thinks about going to China. Before he buys a ticket, he gets an e-mail from Yang Hai with a long list of recommended places to visit and eat as well as go salons near Yun'nan that Yang Hai particularly recommends. Kurata takes them with a grain of salt (how on earth did Yang Hai hear about his trip?), but starts his journey in Yun'nan anyway. 

** Yun'nan **

Yang Hai has heavily recommended a go salon in Kunming with asterisks and notes saying Kurata would be a fool not to show his face there, especially now that Kurata has joined the ranks of title holders. Kurata's expected; apparently Yang Hai's relatives own this one, and they refuse to let Kurata pay the entrance fee. Yang Hai's cousin (also a Yang-san) calls him an honored guest and a friend of Yang Hai's, and walks Kurata around the place on a personal tour. It's comfortably furnished, clean, and most importantly, air-conditioned. 

Kurata recognizes his face on what seems like an advertising poster on the bulletin board, pinned on top of other flyers that are half-intelligible. He doesn't mind being taken advantage of like this, not when everyone is being so hospitable and paying for everything. Kurata knows he's the stereotypical jovial fat man, but stereotypes are useful for camouflage, and he knows it's a show, so what does it matter if his adoring public believes it? It's a time-honored tradition, after all--the pro, the title holder, provides the entertainment and the knowledge, and makes sure everyone takes something positive away from the encounter. It's only fair that the pro gets the red carpet treatment in exchange, and important that they not be embarassed by it. 

He plays, shidougo, of course, enjoying himself immensely as people crowd around his table (but respectfully, and always making sure not to stand in the path of the cold air from the air conditioner.) Kurata understands maybe three out of ten words of the excited high-speed discussion around him, but he is happy to demonstrate and take back moves. He hasn't prepared for a lecture, but this is the next best thing. Someone produces a young teenager who speaks both Japanese and Mandarin. The youth's Japanese is pretty bad, but he does get the meaning across, and Kurata appreciates that the kid gets really into translating Kurata's jokes by the grin on everyone's faces. He compliments the kid, invites him to translate any time Kurata's in the area again, and there is general amusement at the idea.

In the evening, a large group leads Kurata to a bustling restaurant that looks expensive. It's not Western or Japanese understated opulence, but rather prosperous in that bustling Chinese way, full of red and gold paint, and marble table-tops with red cloth spread over them. Kurata feels right at home amidst the noise, and he pays his respects to the excellent food. He consumes his fill of guo qiao mi xian, strongly-herbed steam pot chicken, and both Suntory and Tsingtao beers. 

What a congenial atmosphere! How hospitable and respectful these people are! What wonderful food--and he didn't have to pay a cent for anything! Yang Hai has done him a favor. Kurata asks Yang Hai's relatives about appropriate souvenirs, gets Yang Hai's cousin to show him where to get them, and dispatches a care package to the Chinese Go Institute. It's the least he can do. Kunming has made a fantastic impression on him.

** Zhejiang **

Kurata has had _dong po rou_ before, but nothing so soft, so fragrant, and yet so lazily piled onto a serving plate. The sauce is redolant of alcohol, something sweet that dances on Kurata's taste buds even before he has laid eyes on it. "Eat, eat," the old man says, gesturing. "My son, his restaurant. It was a good game." 

At least, that's what Kurata thinks the man said. Just in case, Kurata makes a show of looking up the menu, and then reaching for his wallet. The old man stops him, grabs his hand, pushes his wallet back into Kurata's pocket. "No no no," Kurata thinks he's saying. "More go. Eat, then we play!"

He picks up some of the fluffy white _bao_ , tears off a piece of the meat (to be more precise, he pushes a piece and it slides off and separates most obligingly.) Meat, _bao_ , and some of that lovely-looking sauce, all stuffed into his mouth in one bite. It's fantastic, and Kurata's eyes light up. He cleans the plate, wiping it with _bao_ , wondering whether etiquette will allow him to get it any cleaner, and then he sees the old man and the son/proprietor, and they look happy. 

Kurata picks up the plate and licks it, and smiles break out across both men's faces. Another serving is placed before him, and Kurata's eyes grow wide. "Oh, no," he tries to say, rubbing his belly, and everyone in the crowded little hole in the wall laughs. "More go, more go." He gestures to the go stones on his cellphone strap, and thankfully, he is allowed a respite as they again pull out the goban and all its accoutrements. Kurata's pants feel tighter already, and he's thankful he listened to his tailor's advice and got elasticized waistbands. He would hate to have to get a new suit here. Chinese suits just don't project the image Kurata would like. 

He wonders if he can finish the second serving of _dong po rou_ they've placed before him, and then decides he's certainly going to try. Later, that is. 

** Shanghai **

Kurata makes Shanghai his final stop, and arrives close to dinnertime. When he asks at the hotel, he's guided to a Xinjiang restaurant. It's modern and sparsely decorated, but the food is fantastic. The lamb and pumpkin is a beautiful melding of sweet and savory, and the pumpkin dumplings (steamed, not fried) irresistably juicy. Best of all, Sinkiang black beer, rich and full-bodied, perfectly matching the food, is still cheaper than any beer would have cost in Tokyo. 

As he asks for the check, he sees a familiar silhouette. "Touya-meijin!"

Touya Kouyou and his wife Akiko graciously invite Kurata to sit with them. Kurata quietly slips his credit card to the waitress and gestures towards the Touyas. The waitress's smile lights up in understanding. Kurata joins them at their table, recommends everything with pumpkin, and pays extravagant homage to Touya Akiko's beauty, grace, and elegance. He's non-threatening, Akiko is entertained and chuckling girlishly, and Touya Kouyou is smiling, so all is well in Kurata's estimation. When the Touyas realize Kurata has paid for their meal, they insist he call on them at the earliest opportunity, and Kurata promises to do so.

The Touyas have taken a lovely house in the suburbs, and Kurata is welcomed the day he shows up for lunch. Akiko has managed a beautiful fusion of Japanese and Chinese, in Kurata's opinion, and he doesn't hesitate to praise the perfectly grilled fish, not-Japanese, and yet Japanese, sweet and salty and juicy all in one, the crispy skin and the soft flesh in perfect harmony. Akiko smiles, praises the staff who purchased it, and they discuss the best places to get local--and Japanese--ingredients. Shanghai is cosmopolitan and sophisticated enough to have decent branches of popular Japanese department stores. Touya Kouyou jokes about Akiko's strong preference for Shanghai over any other city, a preference that came into being when she learned of the Isetan.

Lunch is winding down when Touya Kouyou says, "I do apoligize that you weren't in time to wrest a title from me, Kurata-kun." It turns out some of Kurata's autographed fans have come to Touya Kouyou's knowledge. Kurata grins, and says that Touya Kouyou's retirement has made it easier for Kurata and Ogata, which in turn puts a gleam in Touya Kouyou's eyes. 

They seat themselves at one of Touya Kouyou's gobans, and for the next few hours, Kurata finds out just how fascinating Touya Kouyou's go has become. Retirement has not dulled the former Meijin's skill, and Kurata doesn't hesitate to say so. It earns a smile from his former idol as well as an offer to play on the Internet, an offer Kurata pounces on.

Akiko is back with dinner. Kurata is amazed at how long he's been at the Touyas, but both of them are delightful hosts, tolerant and gracious, and Kurata finds it too easy to be expansive and let oneself enjoy the food and the company. He laments that the Touyas are so far away now, and wishes this newfound friendship were easier to nurture. They urge Kurata in turn to look in on Touya Akira more often. 

Kurata asks if they have anything they would like him to bring back to Japan, but neither Touya would hear of it. "Fill your suitcase with _omiyage_ for everyone else, Kurata-kun, but don't worry about us. Our son can take care of himself, and he visits often enough to carry his own," Akiko says.

Kurata bites into the delicately crispy tempura before him and subsides in a rhapsody of enjoyment. He starts on an ode to Akiko's skill at cooking, and perhaps he is overdoing it, but his hosts certainly seem to be enjoying themself, and Kurata _knows_ he is enjoying this. He takes his leave after dinner, thoroughly pleased with the day, with his hosts, the games of go, and with himself. The Touyas urge him to come again any time, Akiko smiling at Kouyou as she says how much she appreciated Kurata's enjoyment of her cooking, quite unlike someone else she knows. Kouyou laughs with Kurata, and says they'll be at the airport when Kurata checks in for his return flight. 

** Inbound **

The Touyas have perfect timing and arrive as the airline staff deal with Kurata's bag. They present Kurata with a lovely wrapped box and tell him not to open it until he's back in Japan. "A little something to whet your appetite for the next visit," Akiko says with a smile. "I won't let my husband monopolize you the next time. We must go shopping for snacks! Kouyou-san won't be interested, but I know you'll appreciate good sweets when you see them." Touya Kouyou makes a token protest, and then Kurata is off, quite flattered to have been seen off by such a luminary. 

The box yields a lovely cannister of tea and a collection of snacks that makes Kurata's mouth water just looking at them. He e-mails Touya Kouyou immediately with thanks, and promises to be on Netgo often. Then he starts unpacking and planning the next trip. All this travel won't come cheap. Oh well--he'll just have to win another title right away. He can't let Ogata have all the fun, after all. 

Idly, Kurata wonders if Touya Akira is free, or if Shindou-kun is monopolizing the young Touya as usual. Politeness says Kurata should mention seeing the Touyas, after all. Perhaps they'll be up for dinner; Kurata's in the mood for Chinese. He picks up his phone and dials.

**Author's Note:**

> Theme: umami, which I interpreted as a license to go wild with foodgasms. The first scene to be written was the scene where Kurata eats _dong po rou_ in Zhejiang. I freely admit that the rest of the fic was me trying to give that Zhejiang scene some context. Yang Hai butted in, and then Mmmdraco reminded me that the Touyas might be in China. The fic was a joy to write, even if I did spend an entire day drafting it and another day editing it. I really enjoyed the process, and I loved that people commented to say they got hungry after reading it. ♥


End file.
